20120410

Asleeping

With her eyes wide open! Reading some Roger Yates tonight, it was good to see the explanation of why people who care about animals ought to promote the vegan lifestyle instead of perpetuate the humane myth. The reason is simple, here are my words for it, my understanding of it.

In the dynamic of social movements, there is a triad: the movement, counter-movement and state. In this instance it is the vegan movement, those industries (& individuals) invested in exploiting animals- thereby maintaining the status quo- and the government. While only the first is itching to "change things," the other two will automatically and naturally take the "animal welfare" approach. Vegans, however, seek to >fundamentally< change the human-non-human relationship paradigm. If we advocate what we want, we will be met with the best the others parties can envision--it will be a far cry from what vegans want, anyway. So we undermine our own goals by beginning with an animal welfare agenda-, that is all the others could imagine, regardless of what we vocalized!

So for all the *nearly awake* people, we condone "use of animals" in the first place, by just wanting (or talking about) bigger cages for them. Or "enriching" the "environment" in which they are being exploited.... What difference does it make, if we "scream at" or "coo to" the animals to make them move, when, either way, we only want to get them to go to the killing floor?

Another example, from a recent conversation with a transitioning vegan, involves the language of the zoo. "Oh no!" I said, when he mentioned visiting some primates, "vegans don't go look at animals in cages, except maybe to find a non-human with whom to share their homes!" He gently corrected me, "They are 'enclosures,' not 'cages,' Grace." And it's taken me an entire week to think of Shakespeare: 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.' "A cage by any other name would smell as foul." or "A cage by another name feels even more oppressive." Why do we resist, so strongly, recognizing the truth that these beings have a right to live their own lives???

At the pet store yesterday, one of the cashiers-after securing my permission & verifying my companion had no allergies- was telling our little black furry friend "SIT," while holding an open bag of dog treats. She had said it a few times before I realized she was suffering a conundrum. (LMAO!) She didn't want to reinforce my dog standing there, ignoring her command, by delivering the treat. But she didn't want to yell at my dog, either--or know what to do, in general, I guess.

"Oh! We are vegans," I finally said, "she doesn't have to follow orders to get a treat; I just give them to her because she simply can't go get one for herself. Please share with her now."

What's REALLY going on? Who do we think we are, demanding and commanding non-humans to fulfill our most petty desires? What kind of perspective concludes that just renaming an ugly scene will beautify the view for the one confined within--one who doesn't understand ANY of the words but only has the experience???